Seeing Beyond the Here-and-Now

I was recently asked about the keys to success and if there is a strategy for achieving goals. Of course, there are some key fundamentals like hard work, collaborative skills—and having a goal you aspire to reach. Whether it be a project at work or a life goal, you have to have a target in mind.

However, I feel the real key to all of it is peripheral vision. Sometimes we are limited by what we know at the moment we set the goal. Certainly, if you steadfastly focus upon your goal, you’ll get there eventually. But, what if that same focus may actually limit the possibilities? It is so important to stay open to all the possibilities and alternatives that may even turn out to be better than what was originally planned.

I didn’t know I may want to retire in Costa Rica, until I visited Costa Rica. Prior to trip, my idea of a tropical paradise revolved mostly around Florida.

While on vacation, I experienced rain forests and zip-lined through cloud forests. I stayed in a tree house on the Nicoya Peninsula and watched white-faced monkeys and sloths playing in the trees—well not so much the sloths. At any rate, my perception of paradise made a quantum shift to a new paradigm. I began to wonder if there wasn’t something more than Costa Rica, and now I dream of Borneo, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Setting a goal is important; it provides a tactile image we can aspire to. But remember to look left, right, up, down and beyond that which is comfortable. Also, reach for the unattainable! Stretch your vision to the extreme and sublime. If you fail, fail spectacularly, not humbly.

As you work through a project, new information may alter the destination or prevent a disaster. The same holds true of our career and personal goals. Look ahead but remove the blinders and take in the view, the whole view and not just what’s in front of you at the moment. Dare to dream, and dream in grand scale!